Universal and lockable tablet personal computer protective case

ABSTRACT

A universal and lockable tablet PC protective case serves to accommodate an external tablet PC and has a housing, four support pads and a lock assembly. The housing has an upper frame and a lower cover pivotally mounted on the upper frame. The support pads are detachably mounted on four corners of the lower cover. A thickness of each support pad plus a thickness of the tablet PC matches a height of a chamber inside the housing. Each support pad has a curved surface formed in a top of the support pad. The lock assembly locks the upper frame and the lower cover. The support pads are replaceable to provide different types of curved surfaces to accommodate tablet PCs having different shapes. Additionally, as the upper frame is securely locked on the lower cover, it is unnecessary to replace the protective case for insecure locking therebetween.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a tablet personal computer (PC) protective case and more particularly to a universal and lockable tablet PC protective case applicable to tablet PCs with various sizes.

2. Description of the Related Art

Tablet PC is one of the most popular electronic products nowadays. Due to operational convenience and portability, tablet PCs have gained special favor from consumers. Many users of tablet PCs prefer to use table PCs for viewing electronic books, surfing the internet and transmitting or receiving e-mails. So far, the use of tablet PCs has been widely accepted.

As tablet PCs are usually carried around by users, users would normally buy a protective case to accommodate a tablet PC. The size of the protective case is sufficient to receive the tablet PC therein, ensuring that the tablet PC is not easily scratched and damaged when getting collided. Hence, to tablet PC lovers, a protective case is one of the indispensable accessories for a tablet PC.

In view of constantly progressive development of the industrial technology, different tablet PCs are rolled out from generation to generation, and the appearances thereof also vary noticeably. For example, a thickness of a first-generation tablet PC launched by one manufacturer is approximately 7 mm, the rear panel of the tablet PC is planar, and a thickness around edges of the tablet PC is about the same as that at a central portion thereof. In contrast, a second-generation tablet PC has four thinner corners and a thicker central portion with a 10 mm thickness, and the rear panel thereof has an arced surface, so that the appearances of the first-generation and second-generation tablet PCs vary dramatically. Thus, the second-generation tablet PC fails to be accommodated inside the protective case compatible with the first-generation tablet PC. To tackle the problem, the manufacturer of the protective case for the first-generation tablet PC must re-design a new protective case in accordance with the size and shape of the second-generation tablet, and users must spend extra money purchasing the new protective case. After new tablet PC is rolled out and old tablet PC is obsolete, the protective case dedicated to the old tablet PC can no longer be used and ends up as waste of resources. Furthermore, a conventional protective case usually has an upper frame pivotally mounted on a lower cover, and the upper frame and the lower cover are detachably locked. However, the locking means of the upper frame and the lower cover is not stable enough. After being operated for a while, the upper frame and the lower cover are oftentimes untightly locked, and there is a chance that a tablet PC inside the protective case is damaged for inadvertently sliding out of the protective case.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An objective of the present invention is to provide a universal and lockable tablet PC protective case accommodating tablet PCs having different shapes and solving the loosely locking problem after being used for a long period of time.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the protective case has a housing, four support pads and a lock assembly.

The housing has a chamber, an upper frame and a lower cover. The chamber is defined in the housing and has a height greater than the thickness of the tablet PC. The lower cover is correspondingly mounted on the upper frame with one side of the lower cover pivotally mounted on a corresponding side of the upper frame and has an inner bottom having four corners.

The support pads are detachably mounted on the respective corners of the inner bottom of the lower cover. Each support pad has a top and a curved surface. The curved surface is formed in the top of the support pad. A total of a thickness of each support pad and the thickness of the tablet PC matches the height of the chamber inside the housing.

The lock assembly locks the upper frame and the lower cover.

The protective case provides the housing with the height greater than the thickness of the tablet PC and has a support pad mounted on each of the four corners of the inner bottom of the lower cover of the housing. The curved surface formed in the top of each support pad abuts against a corresponding corner of the rear panel of the tablet PC so that the tablet PC can be firmly accommodated inside the housing. Accordingly, users just need to replace the support pads having different thickness and curved surface to accommodate the tablet PC having different size and shape without having to replace the entire protective case. As the upper frame and the lower cover are securely locked to each other by the lock assembly, the upper frame does not easily come off the lower cover after the protective case is used for a long period of time. Accordingly, the protective case does not have to be replaced for sake of accommodation of tablet PC of a new generation or due to reduced locking tightness of the protective case, thereby making the protective case cost effective.

Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a universal and lockable tablet PC protective case in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the unfolded tablet PC protective case in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a support pad of the tablet PC protective case in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a support pad of the tablet PC protective case in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is another perspective view of the support pad in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a side view in partial section of the tablet PC protective case in FIG. 1 with the support pads in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is another side view in partial section of the tablet PC protective case in FIG. 6 with the support pads in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is an operational front view in partial section of the tablet PC protective case in FIG. 1 with the support pad to be engaged in a lower cover of the tablet PC protective case;

FIG. 9 is another operational front view in partial section of the tablet PC protective case in FIG. 1 with the support pad to be disengaged from a lower cover of the tablet PC protective case; and

FIG. 10 is a side view in partial section of the tablet PC protective case in FIG. 1 having a lock assembly and an L-shaped lock mount mounted thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a universal and lockable tablet PC protective case 10 in accordance with the present invention is adapted to accommodate a tablet PC 70 having a thickness and a rear panel 71. The protective case 10 has a housing 20, four support pads 30 and a lock assembly 40.

The housing 20 has a chamber, an upper frame 21 and a lower cover 22. The chamber is defined in the housing 20 and has a height greater than the thickness of the tablet PC 70. The upper frame 21 is correspondingly mounted on the lower cover 22 with one side of the upper frame 21 pivotally mounted on a corresponding side of the lower cover 22. The upper frame 21 has two buckle plates 27. The buckle plates 27 are separately formed on and protrude downwardly from a side of the upper frame 21 opposite to the side thereof pivotally mounted to the lower cover 22. Each buckle plate 27 has a buckle hole 271 formed therethrough. The lower cover 22 has an inner bottom and an outer bottom. The inner bottom has four corners. In the present embodiment, the lower cover 22 further has a peripheral wall 23, four slip strips 24, four tabs 25, four fixing slots 26, two buckle inserts 28, a lock hole 281 and a support stand 29. The peripheral wall 23 is formed around and protrudes upwardly from a perimeter of the inner bottom of the lower cover 22. The slip strips 24 are mounted on the inner bottom of the lower cover 22 and adjacent to respective corners of the inner bottom. Each slip strip 24 is T-shaped in cross section and has a raised portion 241 formed thereon and facing a portion of the peripheral wall 23 adjoining the pivoting side of the lower cover 22. Each tab 25 is formed on and protrudes from a top edge of the peripheral wall 23 toward one of the slip strips 24. Each fixing slot 26 is formed in the inner bottom and between one of the slip strips 24 and the tab 25 adjacent to the slip strip 24. Each buckle insert 28 is formed on and protrudes from an outer surface of the peripheral wall 23 of the lower cover 22 and corresponds to the buckle hole 271 of one of the buckle plates 27. After the upper frame 21 is pivoted to correspondingly cover the lower cover 22, the two buckle inserts 28 are respectively inserted in the buckle holes 271 of the buckle plates 27 to combine the upper frame 21 with the lower cover 22. The lock hole 281 is formed through the peripheral wall 23 and between the buckle inserts 28. The support stand 29 is pivotally mounted on the outer bottom of the lower cover 22. After the support stand 29 is pivoted and fixed relative to the lower cover 22, the protective case 10 is supported and aligned by the support stand 29 for demonstrating the tablet PC 70 inside the protective case 10.

The four support pads 30 are detachably mounted on the respective corners of the inner bottom of the lower cover 22. A total of thickness of each support pad 30 and the thickness of the tablet PC matches the height of the chamber inside the housing 20. With reference to FIGS. 3 and 5, each support pad 30 has a curved surface 31 formed in a top of the support pad 30. In the present embodiment, each support pad 30 further has a sidewall, a release lever 32, a slide channel 33 and a bevel block 34. The release lever 32 is formed on a bottom of the support pad 30. The slide channel 33 is formed in the sidewall of the support pad 30. The bevel block 34 is formed on the bottom of the support pad 30. With reference to FIG. 6, after the raised portion 241 of each slide strip 24 is slidably inserted in the slide channels 33 of one of the support pads 30, one side of the support pad 30 opposite to the slide channel 33 is slidably mounted between one of the tabs 25 and the inner bottom of the lower cover 22. With reference to FIG. 8, initially, the bevel block 34 on the bottom of each support pad 30 is not aligned with any one of the fixing slots 26 on the inner bottom of the lower cover 22, and the support pad 30 is slidably movable between a corresponding tab 25 and the inner bottom of the lower cover 22. When the bevel block 34 of the support pad 30 is slidably moved to align with and engage the fixing slot 26, the support pad 30 is fixed on the inner bottom of the lower cover 22. With reference to FIG. 9, when each support pad 30 is removed, the release lever 32 of the support pad 30 is lifted up and the bevel block 34 of the support pad 30 disengages from a corresponding fixing slot 26 so that the support pad 30 can be removed in a direction opposite to that in which it is slidably moved to engage the fixing slot 26.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the lock assembly 40 serves to lock the upper frame 21 and the lower cover 22 of the housing 20. The lock assembly 40 has a seat 41 and a lock 42. The seat 41 is L-shaped. With reference to FIG. 10, the seat 41 abuts against the buckle plates 27 of the upper frame 21 and the outer bottom of the lower cover 22 and has a through hole 411 corresponding to the lock hole 281 of the lower cover 22 between the two buckle inserts 28. The lock 42 has a key hole 421, a pin 422 and an anti-theft chain 424. The key hole 421 is formed in the lock 42. The pin 422 has two retractable portions 423. The pin 422 is rod-like when the two retractable portions 423 are retracted and hidden inside the pin 422 by inserting and rotating a key in the key hole 421. After the rod-like pin 422 sequentially penetrates through the through hole 411 of the seat 41 and the lock hole 281 of the lower cover 22 and the retractable portions 423 of the pin 422 are restored to have the pin 422 take a cross-shaped form, the L-shaped seat 41 is held against the two buckle plates 27 of the upper frame 21 by the pin 422 so that the upper frame 21 is unable to be pivotally opened and is securely locked on the lower cover 22. The anti-theft chain 424 is securely connected to the lock 42 and can be chained to a fixture to achieve an anti-theft effect.

The support pads 30 can be detachably mounted on four corners of the lower cover 22. When the tablet PC 70 is placed on the lower cover 22, four corners of the rear panel 71 of the tablet PC 70 are respectively rested on the curved surfaces 31 of the support pads 30 and the tablet PC 70 is firmly accommodated inside the protective case 10. With further reference to FIGS. 4 and 7, when a tablet PC 70′ having a rear panel with a different shape is mounted inside the protective case 10, different support pads 30′ respectively having different curved surfaces 31′ to match shapes of the four corners of the rear panel 71′ of the tablet PC 70′ are introduced to replace the original support pads 30 so that the four corners of the tablet PC 70′ can be also firmly mounted inside the protective case 10 to abut against new support pads 30′. Accordingly, the replacement of support pads can easily and conveniently accommodate tablet PCs with different specifications with a universal protective case.

The lock assembly 40 can securely fasten the upper frame 21 on the lower cover 22. After the protective case 10 is used for a long period of time, the upper frame 21 will not be loosely separated from the lower cover 22. Hence, the frequency of changing the protective case due to the insecure locking of the upper frame 21 and the lower cover 22 is significantly lowered.

Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. 

1. A universal and lockable tablet personal computer (PC) protective case for accommodating an external tablet PC having a thickness and a rear panel, comprising: a housing having: a chamber defined in the housing; an upper frame; and a lower cover correspondingly mounted on the upper frame with one side of the lower cover pivotally mounted on a corresponding side of the upper frame and having: an inner bottom having four corners; four support pads detachably mounted on the respective corners of the inner bottom of the lower cover, each support pad having: a top; and a curved surface formed in the top of the support pad; and a lock assembly mounted on the lower cover for locking the upper frame and the lower cover.
 2. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower cover further has: a peripheral wall formed around and protruding upwardly from a perimeter of the inner bottom of the lower cover and having: a top edge; an outer surface; and an inner surface; four slip strips mounted on the inner bottom of the lower cover and adjacent to respective corners of the inner bottom, each slip strip being T-shaped in cross section and having a raised portion formed on the slip strip and facing a portion of the peripheral wall adjoining the pivoting side of the lower cover; four tabs, each tab formed on and protruding from the top edge of the peripheral wall toward one of the slip strips; and four fixing slots, each fixing slot formed in the inner bottom and between one of the slip strips and the tab adjacent to the slip strip; and each support pad further has: a bottom; a sidewall; a release lever formed on the bottom of the support pad; a slide channel formed in the sidewall of the support pad; and a bevel block formed on the bottom of the support pad; wherein after the raised portion of each slide strip is slidably inserted in the slide channels of one of the support pads, one side of the support pad opposite to the slide channel is slidably mounted between one of the tabs and the inner bottom of the lower cover so that the bevel block of the support pad is slidably moved to align with and engage the fixing slot and the support pad is fixed on the inner bottom of the lower cover.
 3. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper frame has: two buckle plates separately formed on and protruding downwardly from a side opposite to the side of the upper frame pivotally mounted to the lower cover, each buckle plate having a buckle hole formed through the buckle plate; and the lower cover further has: two buckle inserts, each buckle insert formed on and protruding from the outer surface of the peripheral wall of the lower cover and corresponding to the buckle hole of one of the buckle plates, wherein after the upper frame is pivoted to correspondingly cover the lower cover, the two buckle inserts are respectively inserted in the buckle holes of the buckle plates to combine the upper frame with the lower cover.
 4. The protective case as claimed in claim 2, wherein the upper frame has: two buckle plates separately formed on and protruding downwardly from a side opposite to the side of the upper frame pivotally mounted to the lower cover, each buckle plate having a buckle hole formed through the buckle plate; and the lower cover further has: two buckle inserts, each buckle insert formed on and protruding from the outer surface of the peripheral wall of the lower cover and corresponding to the buckle hole of one of the buckle plates, wherein after the upper frame is pivoted to correspondingly cover the lower cover, the two buckle inserts are respectively inserted in the buckle holes of the buckle plates to combine the upper frame with the lower cover.
 5. The protective case as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lower cover further has a lock hole formed through the peripheral wall and between the buckle inserts; and the lock assembly has: a seat being L-shaped, abutting against the buckle plates of the upper frame and the outer bottom of the lower cover, and having a through hole corresponding to the lock hole of the lower cover between the two buckle inserts; and a lock having: a key hole formed in the lock; a pin having two retractable portions, being rod-like when the two retractable portions are retracted and hidden inside the pin by inserting and rotating an external key in the key hole, taking a cross-shaped form after the rod-like pin sequentially penetrates through the through hole of the seat and the lock hole of the lower cover and the retractable portions of the pin are restored to protrude beyond a periphery of the pin so as to hold the seat to abut against the two buckle plates of the upper frame; and an anti-theft chain securely connected to the lock and adapted to be chained to a fixture.
 6. The protective case as claimed in claim 4, wherein the lower cover further has a lock hole formed through the peripheral wall and between the buckle inserts; and the lock assembly has: a seat being L-shaped, abutting against the buckle plates of the upper frame and the outer bottom of the lower cover, and having a through hole corresponding to the lock hole of the lower cover between the two buckle inserts; and a lock having: a key hole formed in the lock; a pin having two retractable portions, being rod-like when the two retractable portions are retracted and hidden inside the pin by inserting and rotating an external key in the key hole, taking a cross-shaped form after the rod-like pin sequentially penetrates through the through hole of the seat and the lock hole of the lower cover and the retractable portions of the pin are restored to protrude beyond a periphery of the pin so as to hold the seat to abut against the two buckle plates of the upper frame; and an anti-theft chain securely connected to the lock and adapted to be chained to a fixture.
 7. The protective case as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower cover further has a support stand pivotally mounted on the outer bottom of the lower cover, and supporting the protective case to stand after the support stand is pivoted and fixed relative to the lower cover.
 8. The protective case as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lower cover further has a support stand pivotally mounted on the outer bottom of the lower cover, and supporting the protective case to stand after the support stand is pivoted and fixed relative to the lower cover.
 9. The protective case as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lower cover further has a support stand pivotally mounted on the outer bottom of the lower cover, and supporting the protective case to stand after the support stand is pivoted and fixed relative to the lower cover.
 10. The protective case as claimed in claim 4, wherein the lower cover further has a support stand pivotally mounted on the outer bottom of the lower cover, and supporting the protective case to stand after the support stand is pivoted and fixed relative to the lower cover.
 11. The protective case as claimed in claim 5, wherein the lower cover further has a support stand pivotally mounted on the outer bottom of the lower cover, and supporting the protective case to stand after the support stand is pivoted and fixed relative to the lower cover.
 12. The protective case as claimed in claim 6, wherein the lower cover further has a support stand pivotally mounted on the outer bottom of the lower cover, and supporting the protective case to stand after the support stand is pivoted and fixed relative to the lower cover. 